Hydrogelated Virus Nanoparticles in Tissue Engineering

Hydrogels are an integrated three-dimensional network of water-absorbing hydrophilic polymers that can support tissue regeneration and release medication under controlled conditions. Hydrogel-based structures physically resemble the extracellular matrix besides being effective for biomedical applications and tissue engineering. Hydrogels must provide relevant biological signals to control the cell behavior to become an ideal bioactive scaffold for tissue regeneration. Incorporating virus nanoparticles (VNP) that can release essential peptides into the hydrogels is a promising option to formulate a bioactive scaffold that can facilitate cell proliferation, adhesion, migration, and differentiation. Over the recent period, virologists have discovered many viruses that lead to a great understanding of the diversity of viruses in nature. Viruses affecting the plants are called plant viruses, and they have a wide variety of shapes and sizes, yet each species produces monodisperse nucleoprotein particles. Plant viruses are not capable of infecting or reproducing in humans. Therefore, VNPs are engineered from plant viruses whose genetically programmed structures can be manipulated at the gene level, bioconjugated, or encapsulated. Plant VNPs can act as clinical diagnostic agents, immunomodulators, medicines, nanoreactors, and biosensors by displaying protein molecules or epitopes, constructing inorganic hybrid materials, or carrying molecular charges. The present review focuses on the plant virusmediated nanoparticles encapsulated in bioactive hydrogels to provide an ideal platform for tissue engineering.